THE BEACH SCHOOL CHARTER

At The Beach School, we believe in:

• Self-initiated learning: We believe effective learning is self-motivated, self-regulated, and self-evaluated. Students are not told directly or indirectly what they should do or how they should do it. Students determine their own wants and needs, and ask for help if they feel they need it. It is also up to the students to evaluate their own activities based on their own conscious or unconscious goals. Since we believe that people learn in many different ways there is no bias towards or against traditional academic subjects. We also believe that boredom and 'doing nothing' are valuable learning experiences which can be motivators helping students identify their true passions.
   
• Democratic governance: If students are truly to be in charge of their own learning, they need to be able to make real, meaningful decisions which shape the school community. All members of the school community, both staff and students of all ages, participate equally in the day-to-day decisions of the school. This democratic community is based on the ideal of freedom with responsibility: students are free to spend their time as they like, as long as they do not infringe on the right of other students to do the same. The school's democratic government serves to uphold that ideal.
   
• Trust: We believe that students learn responsibility towards themselves and others by being given responsibility. The students' freedom is undermined unless the adults associated with the school (staff and parents) support it by their actions. This can be hard to do, but it is needed. The Beach School does not issue grades or report cards. Parents can obtain information about students' activities at school directly from the students. They can also consult staff members in the presence of the student in question. To preserve the students' sense of freedom and trustworthiness, parents who wish to spend non-scheduled time at the school should get approval from the school's democratic governing body. Staff members serve not as supervisors of the students, but as role models for life-long learning and responsible adult behaviour. Staff members consciously give students the space to develop and grow unhindered by adult interference. Staff members listen to and address students' wants and needs, but otherwise leave students to find and create their own way of learning.
   
• Age-mixing: Students are not grouped by age, so they are free to interact and learn from people of all ages. They can reap the benefits of experiencing many perspectives, and can learn both by example and by teaching others.
   
• Community: We see The Beach School as part of a larger community encompassing students, staff, families, neighbours, and ultimately, the world. The school is not a haven which shelters students from society, but is rather a safe place from which to explore the resources and negotiate the challenges of the world at large. We value our place in the local community, and also appreciate students' and staff's diverse backgrounds which can enrich our own school culture.